Breath Away
by lovestory1057
Summary: More of a love story than a mystery.
1. Dress up

"Mandie, have you decided what you're going to wear tonight?" Came Celia Hamilton's sweet but slightly annoyed voice from the far end of the room.

"Not yet, are you okay over there?" Said Amanda Shaw as she flipped through the dresses inside of her huge wardrobe.

"Um, yeah I'm just having a hard time with these _**stupid hair pins**_." She said using emphasis on the last three words as she stomped her foot.

Mandie's wavy, dark blond head shot up in shock as she stared at her pretty sixteen-year-old friend who never let herself get so upset. "Are you sure you're okay?" Mandie asked, concern filling her blue eyes.

Celia looked up at her friend and smiled, "Yes I'm okay, I just need a little help with my hair."

"Well you could have just asked you know, you didn't have to throw a fit." Mandie teased as she made her way over to the big, floor-length mirror where her green-eyed friend was standing.

"Oh, Mandie I'm sorry, I don't know what's gotten into me, maybe it is just the pressure and drama surrounding the final social this year." Celia said with a sigh.

"It's okay I know how you feel, I am not so sure about all this either. Just take down your hair and brush it out, then I will help with it." Mandie silently watched her friend take the hair pins out of her long, very curly, red-brown hair and start to brush it out. "Then after I'm done doing your hair, I'm gonna need your help finding a dress for tonight." Mandie added. "What did _you_ pick out?" She asked. Celia pointed across the room at the dress lying on the bed, it was a dark green silk with a black lace neckline, black lace sleeves that came to the elbows, and a flowing skirt that came five inches above the ankles. "Wow, you want to give them a night they'll remember, huh?" Mandie teased.

"Mandie what are you talking about?" Celia asked innocently enough.

"Well I think you know as well as I do, that shade of green just so happens to brings out your auburn hair so nicely that it looks like it's on fire, and makes your eyes the color of an enchanting emerald." Mandie told her while taking the hair pins and arranging Celia's thick hair into a beautiful dutch braid tuck-under.

"It's perfect Mandie!" Celia exclaimed when she saw her hair. "Now for the dress." Celia said as she made her way over to the bed, picked up the dress, slipped it on, and came back over to where the mirror and Mandie were.

"Oh... Goodness... Celia, your... beautiful." Mandie softly exclaimed as she watched her red headed princess of a friend spin around the room.

"Now, we need to find _you_ a dress." Celia said as she made her way over to the huge wardrobe full of outfits and just as quick, whipped out a floor-length silk red dress with a low neckline and cap sleeves. "This should do just fine." She threw it at Mandie and motioned for her to hurry and get dressed.

"Well Celia, if you think it's appropriate..." Mandie looked hesitantly at the low neckline and wondered if it was_ too_ low.

"Oh Mandie your going to a social dinner party, it's okay. Besides you wouldn't have owned it in the first place if it were inappropriate." Celia said as she tied the white silk sash that came around the waist of the dress. Celia pinned Mandie's hair up on top of her head leaving a few curls framing her face and going down her back.

"Wow Celia your really good with hair considering the scene you made a while ago." Mandie continued to tease her friend of four years.

"I know, I can do really good on other people's hair but when it comes to my own, I'm stumped." Celia told her.

"Same here." Mandie stated.

"Well I guess we're all ready, you coming?" Celia asked as she opened the door for them both.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Mandie muttered as she thought about what lay ahead: dancing, small talk, tea, refreshments, not to mention George Stewart the British fellow who had asked her to the social, she wondered as she left if he would try to kiss her after the party and she hadn't made up her mind as whether to slap him and run away when/if he did or to just let him, and-_Mandie stop thinking about that, what is wrong with you? _She thought to herself and hurried down the stairs to get her mind off it.


	2. Is that Joe?

**_Okay so this is my second chapter and it's a bit short, but I will start making them longer once I know someone is actually reading this :D So please reveiw so that I know someone likes it, or at least someone reads it. thx! _**

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**__**Amanda Shaw made her way across the station to the train that she and Celia were boarding, _I wonder where Joe is..._ She thought before she saw her friend pointing at a tall, handsome, muscular young man. _Oh my, is that him?... _

"Mandie!" Celia exclaimed as she squeezed her friend's hand, "There he is, there's Joe, just like he said he'd be here to escort you home!"

Mandie felt her palms start to get sweaty, and she suddenly felt a little light headed.

The handsome man with dark hair came over to them.

"Hey Mandie, do you not recognize me or something?" Joe said when he had walked over to where they were stand

"Um yeah, of course, I just- uh- well I-I just, um didn't know you were gonna be here for sure or not is all" She forced a smile at him, and wondered why she was having such a hard time talking to her lifelong friend.

"Well it's a bit late to decide you don't want me to escort you home." Joe teased her "Are you going home with her Celia?" He turned to Mandie's pretty friend and asked.

"Yeah, well for a week or so any way, then we're going to my house." Celia told the tall boy as they all boarded the train.

"Okay, so you're going to be there for the you-know-what with everyone else?" Joe said trying to be discreet.

Celia frowned at him while Mandie asked,"What you-know-what thing, and who else gonna be at my house?" Mandie asked with sudden a sudden interest. "This doesn't have any thing to do with my upcoming sixteenth birthday does it?" Mandie looked back and forth at her friends.

"You have a birthday coming up?" Joe asked with mock surprise.

" Okay you two, what's going on" Mandie narrowed her eyes and looked from Celia to Joe.

"Nothing Mandie, I don't keep secrets from you, nothing has changed between us, right?" Joe said with a strange look in his eyes.

'Yeah of course not." She mumbled, and wondered if so at the same time.

Celia sensing some thing between the two said, "I see someone I know over there, and so I'm gonna go talk to her really quick." She got up before Mandie could beg her to stay.

"So how has it been at your college?" Joe started off.

"Fine." She answered.

"Have you met anyone new lately?" He asked.

_Why would he be interested in that? _Mandie asked herself.

"Any new guys?" Joe asked in a strange voice.

Mandie kept herself from laughing at him, _So that is what he was getting at, he always was the jealous type._

"Well?" He pressed on.

"W-well, um I went to the final social with this really nice guy." She answered honestly.

"Really nice huh? What was his name?" He suddenly leaned forward to her seat across from him.

"George, George Stewart." She told him.

"George Stewart, huh, well did you dance with him?"

"Yes"

"Eat with him?"

"Yes"

"Drink with him?"

"Yes"

"Talk to him?"

"Of course"

"And did he try to kiss you?"

"Joe!"

"Well did he?" Joe pushed her on.

"You know that is not much your business." Mandie said as she sat back and crossed her arms, the annoyance starting to show in her voice.

"I thought friends didn't keep secrets from each other." He muttered.

"I'm going to go see whats keeping Celia." She said and jumped up, making her way across the train.

_Just who does Joe Woodward think he is, messing into my business, so what if he kissed me, it's not his job to- Okay, okay, calm down I've still got the whole summer in front me to sort all of this out. _Mandie told herself as she walked over to where Celia was.


	3. Did they kiss?

**_Authors note:_**** I would like to thank Kingsvillereader for being the first one to review, thank you, thank you, thank you, soooooooo much for you time, and thank you for saying you liked it, you could never know how good that makes me feel! (I know the first impression you get of me is: she is weird!) Hehe, And I swear the only reason I am updating this so soon is because of the review, so reviews are GOOD :D And I know what you mean when people start off with really good ideas for stories and then NEVER finish, anywayz if you guys love the story, let me know, if you hate it, let me know, if you would like something to change or you have a really good idea than let me know. And for the record, the more reveiws, the more chapters! (No pressure) Hehe, so I'm sorry about this long note, here is the chapter...:) :) :) (Oh and for those of you who don't know what a love seat is, it is pretty much just like a couch but smaller and only built for two. That will make sense as you read.)**

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"So he really asked if George kissed you?" Celia asked her friend as soon as they were at home in the safety of Mandie's room.

"Yes, really nosey huh?" Mandie said in slight annoyance as she replayed the scene in her head.

"Well did he try to?" Celia asked as she raised her eyebrows.

"Celia, that is beside the point!" Mandie retorted, her face flaming as she remembered the way George had stroked her cheek after he had kissed her, _and she'd let him!_

"So he did try, did you let him?" Celia jumped up on the bed suddenly very, very interested.

Mandie just looked down and blushed again.

"Oooooooo" Celia squeaked. "Tell, tell, tell!" She exclaimed.

"Oh Celia it was just like any normal kiss, okay? We need to go down stairs and see everyone anyhow, I heard Jonathan is here and Sally will be in the morning." Mandie said as she pushed her friend off the bed and opened the door.

"Okay, but I want details tonight." Celia singsonged as she danced out the door.

Mandie just rolled her eyes at her friend and shut the door to her room before they went down stairs.

* * *

"So Joe, did you tell her yet?" Jonathan Guyer asked Joe, who was sitting across from him.

"Tell who what?" Joe asked his friend even though he knew what he was talking about, as they sat in the sitting room waiting for the girls.

"Oh come on man, did you tell Mandie you like her?" Jonathan rolled his eyes and waited for the reply.

"Mandie knows I like her, we're friends right?" Joe told him even though he still knew what Jonathan was getting at.

"Oh stop playing so hard-to-get, you know what I mean." Jonathan crossed his arms and waited for Joe to give him some information.

"Look, she likes this stupid British guy who took her out on some social thing." Joe said a bit angrily.

"Oh, did he snog her?" Jonathan's eyes opened wide with interest.

"Come again?"

"Snog, kiss, what ever you call it here."

"Well I don't know, but it's apparent that she likes the guy." He told him sounding more and more irritated by the second.

"Well talk to her about him, see whats going on." Jonathan suggested.

"I did try to talk to her about him, and she just got upset and left." He said in annoyance as he replayed the scene in his head.

"Well man, if she really liked him more than you, I think she would have had him over to her house for summer instead of you." He told Joe, then shut his mouth when he heard the girls coming down the stairs.

Joe looked up and smiled at Mandie as she walked in, and thought about that.

* * *

_Why is he looking at me like that? _Mandie thought as she sat down in the only free seat, next to Joe on the love seat. _This is gonna be a long night..._

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_h  
__**Authors**_** note: I'm very sorry this update is so short, but it is very late at night in my time, and even though it is Friday, I have school tomarrow (Home school). So I will try and get another chapter as soon as I can. ILY!**


	4. The Best Relationships

**Authors note: Hey guys I am so sorry it took a while to update, but I'm here now, so I wanted to thank Neon-Night-Light for saying such really nice thing about my story and having such an awesome story herself! Oh and P.S. reviews make my day! **

**Oh and I don't mean to make anyone here feel stupid, but I used the word 'frequently' in this, and I just wanted to say, it means 'often', just in case you didn't know! :) Love you guys! 3**

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After Mandie and her friends caught up since the last time they had seen each other, everybody decided it was time for bed because they all had to get up early in the morning for Sally, Uncle Ned, and Morning Star.

"You know Celia," Mandie was telling her friend as they took off their corsets and prepared for bed. "I think Jonathan might like you in a different way then his other friends."

"What are you trying to say, Mandie?" Celia asked sharply as she quickly looked up at her blond friend.

"I think you know, did you see the way he was staring at you the entire night?" Mandie teased as she dramatically swayed around the room.

"Oh Mandie, is your own love life so jacked up that you have to mess into everyone elses?" Celia practically yelled at her dumbstruck friend as she stomped off into the bathroom and slammed the door. Mandie just stared at the bathroom door and wondered what had happened to her friend.

"Celia, are you okay?" Mandie asked as she knocked on the bathroom door. The door quickly opened and Celia rushed out to hug Amanda.

"Oh Mandie I am so sorry!" She cried out to Mandie, as she held on to her.

"Celia it's alright, do you want to talk about it?" Mandie asked her friend and patted her on the back.

"It's just that the last time we saw Jonathan I suddenly saw him in a different light than I ever had before." Celia tried to explain.

"Well, it seems to me that the best relationships-the ones that last- are frequently the ones rooted in friendship. You know, one day you look at a person and you see something more than you did before, like a switch has been flicked somewhere, and the person who was just a friend is... suddenly the only person you could ever imagine yourself with." Mandie said, surprised she was comparing herself and Joe to that quote.

"Is that how it was with you and Joe?" Celia asked after thinking about it.

"W-well, um... I-I-I uh, um maybe, no-no n-no I-I don't... um I don't think so, w-we-We're just friends." Mandie said and then wondered why it was so hard to say it.

"Oh Mandie," Celia started. "You can admit it, to your friend you know."

"There is nothing to admit." Mandie mumbled and laid down on the bed. Celia jumped up to bed and laid down next to her friend to face her.

"Oh don't forget, I want to know about the big first kiss!" Celia said, and smiled as she saw Mandie blush.

"Well, okay here it goes...

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**Authors note: I'm so sorry about the shortness, but I just thought that the next part needed a chapter of its own.**

**Thank you for reading! (and reviewing)**


	5. Merry Christmas!

_**Hey guys sorry it has been so long and sorry if you thought this was an update-please don't be mad at me! :( I will put up a REALLY long chapter on christmas day, I promise okay, SUPER long to make it up to you all.**_

_**Thank you so much for sticking with me for so long...**_


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